Crestock.com stole my vector files

I don’t like to be treated like an idiot, and that’s exactly how Crestock.com treat some of their customers and collaborators. This is the reason why I from this point on don’t want to have anything to do with them, and it’s also why I would like to warn fellow freelancers about sending them images.

Let me explain.

I liked the interface, and the fact that the company is Norwegian and had received international attention intrigued me. So I went over and bought a couple of stock photos from them, for my website Frilansinfo.no, and decided to try and see if they would accept a few of my archive vector illustrations. This was in October 2008. The reviewing time was (and still is as I write this) stated as follows:

The time it takes to review your images will vary a bit, but it rarely exceeds 5 working days. When your images have been reviewed, they will be moved from your ‘Pending’ list. All accepted images will be added to your portfolio, while rejected images will appear in the ‘Rejected’ section on the upload page.

I still haven’t heard a word from them. No rejection or acceptance of the files, no replies to my two support messages sent in November and December.

The files I handed over to them for free, are high resolution jpg files and fully scalable and printable vector files ready to sell/print/whatever. It was not like I had sent them a few 72 dpi jpgs to evaluate. That’s why I started to get a bit pissed off in December, so I picked up the phone and gave the CEO of Crestock.com a ring. Geir Are Jensen of Creative Visual Group AS, in Bodø, Norway, picks up.

- Well, we have had something like 100.000 images uploaded lately, he says, and that’s why we haven’t been able to review all of them in a timely manner.

His explanation sounds plausible and probably is.

So the CEO is aware of the problem at least. So why doesn’t the guy at least have someone in his “group” send out an email to all the artists and photographers waiting in vain for their images to be reviewed? Just tell us that you’re doing your best to deal with your unexpected success, man! I can be really patient, you know.

But no. Silence.

Meanwhile my files are taken hostage by the unfriendly junta from northern Norway. I didn’t ask them to keep the files without telling me what they will do with them.

I find this silence both disrespectful and arrogant, and will expect Crestock.com to confirm that they have deleted my files from their servers. I will officially expect this from them, but since I now believe they are unable to do business properly, I won’t be surprised if they ignore me and hope that I will go away.

Which I just did.

And I won’t come back.

PS have a look at their forums and you’ll see that I’m not the only one who have had a bad experience (or should I say NO experience?) with Crestock.

UPDATED: 12 hours after this post was published, Crestock.com rejected my images with the following message attatched to each of them:

The image was rejected for the following reason(s):

  • Custom
  • File removed as requested by user

The following message was posted by the Crestock team on the forum where I posted the link to this blog:

We fully accept that the waiting times, particularly for vectors, which require different evaluation skills from photos, have been excessive and completely unacceptable. Thankfully, the pending time for vectors is also coming back down to normal again, which is to say 1-5 days.

Having said that, we’re talking about 3 files in total here. 3 very good and very elaborate illustrations, but nevertheless ‘only’ 3 files. It is not your entire life’s work that has been kept in the review queue, losing you potential revenue.

We are as disappointed as anyone here about the long waiting times, and we gather from your post that you would like your 3 pending files deleted rather than reviewed. This has now been done.

You are always entitled to do what you wish with your own work, but if you “expect Crestock.com to confirm that they have deleted my files from their servers. I will officially expect this from them”, it is usually a better idea to send that request to our helpdesk (or failing that, posting it here in the forum), rather than publishing the request on your personal blog.

Best regards,

The Crestock Team

I of course replied that I had already contacted their helpdesk twice AND called their boss, so I gathered that contacting them again was a waste of time.

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Published:
16.01.09 / 4am
Category:
Illustration, Media > Internet